Aging gracefully: Preventing falls

(CNN) Falls, for older people, are serious. They can significantly impair mobility and independence. They may lead to hospitalization and subsequent placement in a long-term care facility or nursing home. And as you get older, recovery is slower.

Falls are the leading cause of traumatic injury and death in older people, according to geriatric specialist Dr. Becky Powers. Older women are more often injured as a result of falls, but men are more likely to die as the result of a fall. According to the American Geriatrics Society, up to one-third of adults over the age of 65 living at home experience a fall, and nearly two-thirds will fall again.